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Giving congratulations to my son for not taking a drink before his 21st birthday

Do you remember that scene in the movie “City Slickers” where Billy Crystal is listening to his mother reminisce about his birth 50 years ago.

Mothers are not the only one who remember their child’s birth. Sure, the mothers of the world carry their offspring for nine months, but fathers can’t forget that first moment when they hold their child.

My son is 21 today, and yet it seems like it was only yesterday that I was holding him for the first time. Now, the best I can expect from him is a token hug.

I am not a bitter man.

My son has grown up to become a sensitive, caring person. He also is one of those rare kids who has never had a drink, so I don’t know what to get him now that he’s of legal age to drink.

Many of my friends are amazed that he hasn’t had at least one beer before this birthday, but perhaps it was listening to my many classes for Alamo Training that convinced him not to drink before he turned 21. As I went back to college at UTSA nearly seven years ago, I taught TABC Alcohol Seller Server Course to supplement my VA stipend and my Air Force retirement. While the movies like American Pie and SuperBad popularize to kids and their parents that it’s all right to drink before your 21st birthday, the reality is that young people are still developing their brains.

The American Medical Association reports that most children have their first drink at 12. If you are a parent with children who are between 12 and 20, you might want to note this comment from the AMA: “The brain goes through dynamic change during adolescence, and alcohol can seriously damage long- and short-term growth processes. Frontal lobe development and the refinement of pathways and connections continue until age 16, and a high rate of energy is used as the brain matures until age 20. Damage from alcohol at this time can be long-term and irreversible. In addition, short-term or moderate drinking impairs learning and memory far more in youth than adults. Adolescents need only drink half as much to suffer the same negative effects.”

So, I am proud of my son to not get sucked into the mindset that he needed to have a few beers before his 21st birthday. Thanks to his parents and a little formal training, he can decide today if he wants a beer or a margarita. And, if he doesn’t, I won’t be upset with his decision to stay sober on his 21st birthday.